
LGBTIQ couple DENIED engagement ring at jewellery storeAn online jeweller has been accused of LGBTIQ discrimination for refusing to sell engagement rings to a Lesbian couple.
by Mambaonline.com
30-11-2022 17:27
in LGBTQIA
Despite Craig Marks refusing to make Candice van Eck and her partner an engagement ring, the couple later got engaged in Greece with another ring. Photo: PEXELS
Craig Marks, a Cape Town-based online jeweller, has again been accused of LGBTIQ discrimination by refusing to sell engagement rings to same-sex couples because of the owner's Christian beliefs.
--
When quantity surveyor Candice van Eck decided earlier this year to propose to her partner, she started looking for the ideal diamond ring for the special occasion.
We're originally from Joburg and moved to PE and there wasn't much variety around here, van Eck tells MambaOnline. She turned to online retailers and came across the Craig Marks website which offers custom-made fine jewellery .
ALSO READ: Cape Town Pride cruise is set to LAUNCH next year
Finding just what she'd been looking for on the website, she excitedly contacted the company and spoke to owner Craig Mark Quinton. During their conversation about the ring's settings and size, she casually referenced that her partner was a woman.
--
I loved this diamond, it was perfect, says van Eck. However, when she tried to follow up with Quinton about the ring, she found herself being ghosted. I kept sending him emails waiting for the settings with no response. And then I tried to call him. He ignored me. Then I tried off my mom's phone and he answered.
It made me feel that we are not good enough
ALSO READ: Gay pride march in Gqeberha led by learners
--
How it all transpired Van Eck says that Quinton apologised and promised to reply to her via email. When he did email her on 30 March, Van Eck was stunned by his response.
You did mention on the phone that it's an engagement ring for a female partner,
We, unfortunately, do not provide rings for the purposes of engagement or marriage for same sex couples. This is out of faith towards God as he has said between man and woman.
He added that he'd be happy to help her if she was looking for any other kinds of jewellery.
It made me feel that we are not good enough, says Van Eck. It's so brazen and entitled. I actually cried afterwards - it's meant to be something special and he made me feel that I'm doing something completely wrong.
Determined to not allow the disappointment and humiliation sour her engagement, van Eck put the matter aside for the time being. Finding another ring, she and her partner got engaged in July in Greece at sunset overlooking the ocean.
Despite the happy outcome of her proposal, she couldn't let go of the troubling incident. It sat with me and bothered me, and I thought I don't want to let this just go by'. I felt quite upset and disheartened by it.
Where then is the LGBTIQ community to go? Van Eck is now considering lodging a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission or the Equality Court. She's also been in touch with OUT LGBT Well-being's legal clinic for support.
I've been fortunate to not have experienced a lot of discrimination in my life and this is one of the first big acts towards me. I can only imagine what other people are facing every day. That's why I want to take it further.
Businesses are not allowed to continue to humiliate LGBTIQ people by treating them as second-class citizens
In 2019, Quinton made headlines for refusing to sell an engagement ring to another same-sex couple, telling the women that we follow Christ and do not want to partake in what God calls sin which is a man with a man or woman with a woman.
He and his company faced a significant backlash from the LGBTIQ community and its supporters, with Quinton alleging that he'd been harassed and threatened because of his stance.
Forging an alliance with the conservative religious group, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA), he essentially argued that his constitutional right to religious freedom superseded the right of LGBTIQ people to equality and protection from discrimination,
Business owners cannot deny services to LGBTIQ people based on their personal religious beliefs, says OUT's Human Rights Manager Lerato Phalakatshela. Their religious beliefs cannot be brought into their professional public capacity as an excuse to discriminate against a protected group.
Phalakatshela added: This company's actions are in violation of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act [also known as the Equality Act]. We urge the SA Human Rights Commission and the courts to take action to ensure that businesses are not allowed to continue to humiliate LGBTIQ people by treating them as second-class citizens.
MambaOnline contacted Quinton requesting comment and asking if it remained his company's policy to refuse to sell engagement rings to same-sex couples. He had not replied at the time of publishing this article.
By Luiz De Barros
This article was initially published on MAMBAonline.com
How much of a rugby fanatic are you? FIVE easy answers could win you a signed jersey! ENTER HERE!
Africa Stories
28/06/2025
Johannesburg, 27 June 2025 - As the nation commemorates Youth Month
2025, the N...
24/06/2025
Panels of the National Film and Video Foundation in Accordance with the NFVF Act...
13/06/2025
Johannesburg, 12 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
11/06/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa - 10 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundati...
10/06/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa - 10 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundati...
06/06/2025
S o Paulo Film and Audiovisual Company (Spcine) and the National Film and Video ...
05/06/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa 4 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundatio...
29/05/2025
Rest in Power, a True Legend of Our Screens
Johannesburg, South Africa 27 May...
29/05/2025
Johannesburg, South Africa 28 May 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Vincent Blennies, has resigned from...
22/05/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
13/05/2025
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture that was create...
10/05/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/05/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/04/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
08/04/2025
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Vincent Blennies as Chief Exec...
04/04/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to submit character designs inspired by lead characters from any South Afric...
14/03/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/03/2025
Antis pticos Orales: Revisi n De La Literatura Y Perspectiva Actual Influenza son contradictorios, dadas las elevadas tasas de curaci n espont nea. De ser neces...
28/02/2025
The Future of Green Energy: Challenges and Prospects Green energy, also known as renewable energy, has emerged as a critical solution to global energy challenge...
27/02/2025
Beginner Coding in Python: Building the Simplest AI Chat Companion Possible
AI-powered Personal VoiceBot for Language Learning by Gamze Zorlubas
You can ear...
24/12/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is calling for applications from South African film and television filmmakers to be part of the NFVF's delegat...
06/12/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the cl...
30/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
16/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sport, Ar...
16/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites emerging female producers ...
16/11/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites current masters students t...
30/10/2024
Johannesburg, 26 October 2024 - The 18th Annual South African Film and Televisio...
30/10/2024
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND DOCUMENTARY
!Aitsa
Practitioner: Simon Kohler
Production House: MED CINE
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING DOCUMENTARY
Rise: The Si...
24/10/2024
In accordance with Section 6 (2) (c) of the National Film and Video Foundation A...
19/10/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites postgraduate students to s...
15/10/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (herein referred to as NFVF) is a statutory body set up by the government to grow and develop the South African Film and ...
11/10/2024
10 October 2024 Johannesburg, South Africa - The National Film and Video Found...
09/10/2024
Sportel stand number: Ravel Hall G06/07 After a summer filled with intense sport emotions in Paris, France and beyond, Globecast will be happy to welcome you...
04/10/2024
SAFTAs 18 Announces Date and Theme: Honouring Excellence in South African Film and Television with the theme Back to Basics . Johannesburg, South Africa Wedn...
04/10/2024
Johannesburg, South Africa Wednesday, 2 October 2024 The South African Film ...
01/10/2024
Johannesburg, South Africa - Monday, 30 September 2024 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (...
24/09/2024
Every little girl out there who has felt different because they are not what soc...
09/09/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (herein referred to as NFVF) is a statutory body set up by the government to grow and develop the South African Film and ...
06/09/2024
Johannesburg, 05 September 2024 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF),...
09/08/2024
Johannesburg, 8 August 2024 - It is with profound sadness that the National Film...
01/08/2024
Globecast to Showcase the Broadcast Industry's Most Advanced Connectivity and Hybrid Cloud Solutions at IBC 2024
PARIS, 1 August 2024 Globecast, the lead...
16/07/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
13/07/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/07/2024
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture that is created...
02/07/2024
Arabsat, ASBU and Globecast are commemorating 20 years with a renewed multi-year deal for Global Arabic Bouquet (GAB) services, providing a wide range of DTH di...
11/06/2024
Tuesday 11 June 2024, Johannesburg. The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF...
31/05/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the custodians of the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs), has learned of the allegations of ill-tr...
22/05/2024
Judge blocks auction of Elvis Presley's Graceland estateA judge in Tennessee has temporarily halted a foreclosure sale of Graceland, the historic home of El...